Guy Pearce has some brutally honest thoughts about his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Memento.
“I watched Memento the other day and I’m still depressed. I’m sh*t in that movie,” he told The Times, pulling no punches about his performance in Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller.
The 2000 film, which cemented Nolan as a major filmmaking force, follows Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man with short-term memory loss on a desperate hunt for his wife’s killer. It’s widely thought to be among Nolan’s best, boasting a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and a loyal fanbase. But while audiences still praise it, Pearce has had a rude awakening – at least about the work he put in as the film’s lead.
“I’d never thought that before, but I did this Q&A of Memento earlier this month and decided to actually watch the film again. But while it was playing I realised I hate what I did.”
For years, Pearce believed his lack of collaboration with Nolan since Memento was due to a Warner Bros. executive who supposedly didn’t like him. Now, he’s reconsidering that theory. “So all this stuff about an exec at Warners being why I’ve not worked with Chris again? It came crashing down,” he said. “I know why I didn’t work with Chris again — it’s because I’m no good in Memento.”
Pearce believes part of the problem was the tone he went for. “I was trying to do a flippant attitude, but it was all wrong.” He referenced a quote from theatre legend John Gielgud: “You can be good in a good movie, good in a bad movie, bad in a bad movie, but never be bad in a good movie. Yet I watched Memento and realised I’m bad in a good movie. F**k!”
To put it further into perspective, Pearce compared his Memento turn to another acclaimed picture and an Aussie soap from his early career. “Look, I’m pleased with L.A. Confidential, but I look at this and go, ‘Oof! Nails on a chalkboard!’ If I reckon my performance in Neighbours is two out of ten, Memento is a five.”
As for whether he’s shared these thoughts with Nolan? “No, because I reckon he’d agree with me.”
Pearce is currently earning acclaim for his performance in The Brutalist, a film that has given him his first Oscar nomination.
